What's Red And Black And Broken?
by RiddletheSphinx
Summary: Harley just wants a normal life now, she wants to go to work and go home, handsome billionares and villianious exs were not part of the plan, but nothing ever went according to her plans. Harley/Bruce.
1. Chapter 1

"You are aware I'm all rehabilitated and shit right?" Harley waved her hands around her head, giving the man standing in her living room a small smirk. Six months out of Arkham, and she was still going strong. Consular at a school and everything, which said a lot more about Gotham's underfunded education then it did about her abilities really, "Unless you're here to talk about one of my students but you know I report all of that shit to the police first"

Batman grunted at that, looking around her tiny apartment. The bedroom, living room and kitchen were all shoved into one room, with the bathroom being the only door. The Murphy bed and pull out couch let her have a little bit more space, but it wasn't much.

"I need your help", he said, never taking his eyes off of her as she dropped her bag to the floor, hands firmly planted on her hips.

"Now why would you need a thing like that?" Harley pressed her fingers against his chest, pushing him away every so gently, "I already told you, I'm rehabilitated now! I ain't a criminal and I ain't seen no one in months, not since I first got out. Everyone thought I wasn't on the straight and narrow but I am!"

Batman coughed, grabbing her wrist and holding her just a little bit a ways from him. He hadn't forgotten what Harley would do if provoked, and by the looks of her arm, straining in his grip, she hadn't lost any muscle tone, "Poison Ivy escaped this morning. I need you to contact me if she comes to you. Something that if you are on the straight and narrow you'll be willing to do"

Harley smiled slightly, letting out a sigh at his words, "Red ain't gonna come to be Batsy, she knows I ain't like that anymore and I can't risk it having her show up here or nothing. I'm skating on thin ice", he released her wrist and she rubbed it, trying to get some feeling back into the hand.

"Still", he pressed what looked like a smart phone into her palm, "The bat icon sends a message straight to me. Ivy doesn't have as many friends as you might think"

She gripped it, holding her arms close to her chest, "And if you thought of it…"

"She might too"

The thought made her a little sick, not that she didn't still love Red, she did! But she couldn't live that life anymore, not after ending up in Arkham with her legs shattered. They had to teach her how to walk again and in a way that had been her wake up call. If she continued on that life, with any of them…she would end up dead sooner than later. Her legs still weren't up to full strength and it killed her to know that.

"I'll call ya if Red shows up Batsy. Cross my heart and hope to die I will", she tilted her head back, holding the phone and he hands against her chest, "You can trust me this time"

He grunted again, like he wasn't sure if he really could or not, but didn't want to voice his concerns lest she get angry at him. With that his cape swirled around him rather dramatic fashion as he pushed his way through the window out on to the fire escape.

Harley turned away, still staring at the phone, not really wanting to watch his departure. In the morning she could pretend this hadn't really happened and just tuck the phone away into one of the pockets of her bag. Red wasn't going to show up and she wasn't going to pretend it was possible that she was. Too much thinking about the old days would be bad for her.

On the roof top beside Harley's building Batman landed with a solid thump, between Batgirl and Robin, laying on the roof watching the building. They both popped up when he landed, Batgirl smiling brightly and Robin giving him a bored look.

"How'd it go?" Batgirl asked, putting her night vision goggles away into her belt, "We couldn't really see anything form over here"

"Only because you picked the worst spot. We could have gone down on one of the windowsills", Robin said, making a noise with his tongue to voice his displeasure with her plan.

"You mean the ones that are too small for me!"

"It's not my fault you're fat"

"What was that?!" They were nearly head to head now, Batgirl bending down so she could scowl more effectively at Robin.

Batman rolled his eyes, forcing them apart, "You two are on duty," He jumped down into the alley, into the waiting seats of the Batmobile. He waited for the two thumps that told him Batgirl and Robin were inside and shut the roof over.

"You never said how it went Father", Damian reminded him, "As Fatgirl choose to start a fight the moment that you were about to"

Stephanie leaned in from the back seat, "I did not! You started it you little jerk!"

Bruce resisted the urge to slam his forehead into the steering wheel, that was not Batman behavior, no matter how annoying the kids were getting. He should have known that adopting Stephanie would lead to this kind of problems, but her mother wasn't in any shape to look after herself let alone Stephaine so there she was. Living in the Manor and in the papers as Bruce Wayne's second adopted daughter.

"I should have brought Cassandra", he mumbled under his breath, speeding away from the apartment building, out loud he said, "It went fine. I gave the her phone, and she promised to call me if anything happened"

"I hope you didn't believe her", for someone so young, Damian had that edge of unbelieving to his voice, "An extended stay in Arkham doesn't mean she's cured"

He was really going to have to show Damian to have more faith in him, "Bruce Wayne will be watching her as well, don't worry about that"

Damian and Stephanie both began to speak at once, a jumble of "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS" and "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN", with a good amount of "BRUCE" and some "FATHER" thrown in for good measure.

"I am aware of what I'm doing"

They both snorted, leaning back in their seats, as if to say yeah right. He clutched the steering wheel tightly in his hands and said again, "Should have brought Cassandra"

"She's in Hong Kong", Stephanie reminded him, shoving her head in the space enough to push Damian's out of the way, which began a shoving match between them. Like they were sixteen and twelve but both a pair of five year olds.

"I should have waited for Cassandra to get back"

Harley didn't even have time to think about her night time visitor the next day, her power had gone out (again) leaving her scrambling to get ready and slightly presentable for work (in black and red of course, she couldn't resist) (again), before her first appointment of the day. The normal stuff, my boyfriend wants to have sex, I think I might be pregnant, and the classic I'm failing all my classes because I'm a pothead.

It's not that she didn't love the kids, she did, she really did. But sometimes it felt like she could tell them what they needed to hear just by the first line of their story. Sometimes it helped to think that she was stopping the next wave of super villains, but there was only so many ways a teen mom could become a super villain after all.

Harley was the kind of girl who craved excitement, even if it was the dumb kind of excitement she got form showing a bunch of five year olds how to do a perfect back flip. That was part of the reason she was at this school, they needed a counselor and a gym teacher. Technically she could do both. Not to mention teach gymnastic classes after hours.

And Batman thought that she couldn't be trust. She knew he did, there was a reason he had come straight to her. A warning. To say I'm watching you so don't step out of line. A little creepy and a little flattering that Batman would go to all that trouble for little old Harley.

Lunch was her break from the appointments and the first time she had managed to eat all day. She normally picked up something to eat because keeping cold food in the fridge just spelled disaster when you never knew when the power would go out on you, but there had been no time this morning.

So peeking out of her office to make sure the principal wasn't anywhere near by, Harley tip toed out, the best she could in her squeaky sneakers. Students trusted someone who looked like them she found.

"Ah Dr. Quinn!" And there was the principal, Mr. Thomas who seemed to think Harley was the best thing in the world. Which considering his school she might have been.

"Hiya Boss…", as Harley turned she at once regretted the choice of black jeans, a red cardigan and a batman t-shirt as her work clothes today. Not that the skin tight red shorts in her bag would have been much better when she was faced with not only her boss, but as well Bruce Wayne.

She looked like a freaking' teenager (not to mention the whole dumb officially changing her name thing because the girl before Harley was dead but the villainess was dead too and all there was now was Harley in black jeans just wanting something to eat).

"This is our school counselor and gym teacher, Dr. Harley Quinn. Dr. Quinn this is Mister Wayne, he's interested in donating to the school and I was hoping you could show him around", his smile was so bright and open that Harley couldn't resist and she grinned.

"Sureee I can do that just fine, I don't have any appointments for a little while and gym isn't until 2", she grinned, again wishing that she didn't look like one of the students, "I hope that's okay Mister Wayne"

He smiled, a rather charming smile she had to admit and a normal one too. Wayne was everything that the Joker wasn't. Tall, dark, handsome, not slouch to his shoulders and hate in his eyes. She could have fallen in love based on that alone. "That's just fine with me Doctor. And please, call me Bruce"

Harley giggled, resisting the urge to play with her hair like one of her students, "Only if you call me Harley! It's not fair for one of us to have a title"

"Well then Harley lead on"

She chatted the whole way around, making her way through the one science class that they had set up. It really looked more like a meth lab then anything, but it was all that they had. The Gym was freezing, with the hole in the wall patched up with some plywood that someone had brought in.

"And this is the gym, I know it's not much but it's all that we have right now. And we can't go outside, the field has been kinda destroyed. Killer Croc wanted to make a swamp or something you know? It's not useable. Sucks for the kids, but they try and deal with it"

Bruce hmmed, like he wasn't sure what to think as he glanced around, taking in the cracks in the walls, the water stained floor, and the water fountain that was so rusted it might has well have been a piece of the wall instead of a place to drink form. "You really don't have much funding do you?"

Harley laughed, covering her mouth as she tried to pretend she was coughing. "We haven't gotten funding for years if Thomas is right. I know he's put in for some, but I'm impressed that we get paid every two weeks sometimes. There's just no money anymore"

"I believe that that I've picked the right school…how much would you think that it would take to help you out?"

"Well…you have to understand Mister Bruce, that there's so much wrong here that I can't even think about starting to fix it up, what we'd need to do first I guess would be the library, the kids could use some computers…and the science labs, and well that whole in the wall. Like I said there's a lot…"

Bruce grasped Harley's hand gently, "Would you do me the honor of meeting me for dinner some night? And we can talk of this longer. Not to mention you look like someone who works herself too hard"

She blushed, looking away so that she was peering straight into those blue eyes. It had been years at this point since she had gone on any kind of date, or been with anyone that wasn't just…normal.

Not that Bruce was the most normal person, being a billionaire with a bunch of adopted kids who funded the Batman's activities.

But at least he wasn't a criminal, "Um…okay! As long as you don't you know…expect me to go anywhere too fancy, I mean…look at me", she giggled nervously, spreading her arms so that he could get a better look at her outfit.

"I wouldn't have thought you'd be a Batman fan after all of what happened"

Harley pressed her hand to her lip, twisting on the ball of her foot,

"You can ask me about that at dinner! We gotta have something to talk about don't we?

"Are you just leaving me to find my own way out then?" he called after her, as she danced out of sight. For all the places that he had assumed that he would find Harley Quinn, this hadn't been it. A rundown Gotham school, helping out the students. And being a favourite of the principal's all at once. An impressive feat for someone nearly fresh out of Arkham. Apparently she strove to be impressive at every turn. Gymnast, Psychologist, villain and now a teacher. Whatever Harley wanted to be, she would be it.


	2. Chapter 2

The restaurant was too nice for her, in her thrift store dress and braid wrapped into bun. Hell even her shoes were a cheap pair, spray painted so no one could see the scrapes and scratches.

Harley took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was in fact the Harley Quinn and then Harley Quinn could walk into where ever that she wanted because she could kill all of them if they tried looked at funny.

The place was nice, and almost no one was looking at her funny. Apparently they were all so focused on the man near the back of the room, sitting alone in a booth. Bruce…waiting for her she hoped, as he had sent the care for her and everything. If this was his idea of a joke he would be getting it so hard…

The hostess smiled at her, "Ah Miss Quinn right this way please"

In a moment she was across from Bruce, with everyone in the restaurant now staring at her, trying to bore holes into her head to figure out who he was dating now.

"Does this happen a lot?" She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, looking around a little bit. The eyes didn't even bother to turn away, being a V.I.P. meant in this place that you didn't get any privacy, no matter what.

"Only when I manage to get out of the house for a few hours," Bruce grinned, waving his hand, the waiter brought over a bottle of wine, "Do you like wine?"

"Yes…thank you", she watched the wine fall into the glass, even with her limited abilities, she could tell that it was good wine, "Are you trying to get me liquored up Mister Wayne?"

He smirked, taking a sip of his own wine, before answering, "From what I've heard Dr. Quinn, that's a task that not even my wallet would be up to"

It took Harley a moment to process his comment before she broke out into giggles, covering her mouth as she attempted to not start snorting, "You seem to know a lot about me and I don't seem to know so much about you do I?"

Bruce simply smiled over his wine, taking a sip before he answered, "You're a rather public figure Doctor, I felt like I at least had to do my research before this date, so that I might understand a little bit more about you"

There was just a slight tug at her stomach at the mention of her being a public figure once upon a time, but she brushed it off, "…I'm not like that anymore. I'm just a normal teacher you know? I just wanta help my kids, and stuff. That's all"

"You're a good person Harley. I don't want you to think that I'm here because I assume anything about you. I want to get to know the woman behind the paint", he slid his hand across the table, holding his palm face up, with a gentle smile on his face

"Why do I get the feeling you ain't just trying to get into my pants Bruce?" she smiled right back at him, sliding her hand into his, feeling the warmth soaking into her hand.

"If I was trying to do that, you would be aware of it. I promise you that…now I believe that we are here to talk about what your school needs are we not?"

"Of course"

Somehow one date that was meant to be about her school had turned into two, and then three, and then enough that Bruce was inviting her to the house, to meet the two children that he still had living with him. Everyone knew that he had a large family, but most of his children were away at school or living their own lives.

It was a casual affair for once, one that didn't involve her getting dressed up. Apparently Bruce had caught on to her reluctance to go out to more fancy places, especially in the one dress she could afford. And despite what he tried to do, she wasn't going to allow Bruce to buy her anything.

She wasn't after his money; she hadn't even meant to look like she was after him at all, when she had walked in all she had wanted to do was not get fired for freaking out their guest.

And now she was going to meet his kids.

"I'm Stephanie", Alfred had led her into the sitting room, saying that "Master Bruce would be there soon enough", leaving her alone with the kids. One bright brown eyed blond girl grinning at her, and one dark haired mini dark skinned clone of Bruce, who was scowling, "And this is Damian. He's a brat"

Damian pushed at his sister, as she giggled pushing him back. They were like actual siblings, it didn't seem like they had been only living together for only a few years. Harley had to smile at that, it was sweet, clearly Bruce was raising a good set of kids.

"So you guys…are okay with all this? I mean your dad is kinda just datin' some woman out of nowhere", really she couldn't let herself keep dating Bruce if his kids didn't like her.

There had been enough of those movies about kids tryin' to do awful shit to their dads' girlfriend that she didn't need to know what might happen.

Stephanie shrugged, "Bruce is great, but he's kind of a dork sometimes, not to mention kinda lonely and not you know really peppy. Since you've been around though he's been happy, it's pretty cute"

"Father is not in any way cute. You should be respectful Brown", Damian said, frowning ever so slightly at Stephanie's statement, "But I must agree, I have no seen him so pleasant in many months"

"Really?" she hadn't noticed that Bruce had been happier or anything, possibly because she hadn't known him before they met, "Um, so I have your permission to date him then?"

They both blinked, turning to each other, before shrugging their shoulders, "Sure"

"Dinner is served, and Master Bruce says that if you three broke each other he has four more children but Miss Harley is a bit too special to replace"

She blushed, the heat rushing to her cheeks at the butler's words.

"Dad is trying to be smooth", Stephanie said, they slipped into the dining room. Bruce was already there, sitting at the head of the table with some kind of papers in his hands.

Harley sighed, slipping around him to pluck them from his fingers, "I'm here, your kids are here, and we're going to have whatever delicious dinner that Al made because I like him and you work too goddamn much and that's coming from someone who works three goddamn jobs"

Bruce stared at the space where his paper had been before realizing that Harley was standing behind him. Stephanie snickered, holding her hand over her face as Damian made a face that might have been a smile in some other universe, "Hello Harley"

"Marry her Master Bruce", Alfred took the papers from Harley, placing a plate in the space in front of Bruce, "I'll have the rest of the food in a moment"

The dinner, on top of being the best one that she had, had in months, was pleasant. Stephanie and Damien only stopped picking at each other to ask Harley herself questions about her old life, or tell Bruce something. Alfred ate with them, but he seemed happy to smiled pleasantly at the antics. He was more like a grandfather then a Butler it seemed.

Dinner was nice that Harley didn't notice that it had gotten so late until Bruce sent Damian to bed and Stephanie went to do something by herself. At which point, she and Bruce retired to the sitting room. "Wine?"

Harley smiled, she should have been going home, but there wasn't school the next day, and a glass of wine sounded wonderful, "Are you trying to get me to spend the night?"

"Do you want to spend the night?"

"Give me the wine"

By the time they made it to the bed room, Harley was only feeling a slight buzz, along with the other things Ivy had given her, she couldn't get drunk as well as she would have liked. Not that Bruce seemed very buzzed either.

She grabbed his collar when they were finally in the room, kissing him rather firmly on the lips. Bruce twisted his hand in her hair and there was a large hand on her waist, feeling like he could cover all of her.

Bruce pulled away, his blue eyes looking down at her, a mix of apparent nerves but still happiness at the same time, "Harley I…"

It only took her a moment to realize what he meant, most men would have had something pressing against her leg by now, but there wasn't even a hint from Bruce, "You aren't really into sex are you?"

"Am I that obvious?" he grinned, but the nerves disappeared, with hope settling there instead.

"Ya did say I'd know when you were tryin' to get into my pants. Don't worry about it", she placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing his cheekbone gently with her thumb, "Look, I don't wanta sleep with you either. I like you a lot, I wanta kiss you, and you know do date stuff with you. And right now I wanta go the hell to sleep"

As she was falling asleep, wrapped in Bruce's arms with her head on his chest, she couldn't help but smile, they were lucky to have found each other really.


	3. Chapter 3

"…this is awesome!" Harley squealed, clapping her hands together. In the past few weeks she had become closer to Bruce's kids, or at least the ones that were around, and spent more time at the Wanye place, even without Bruce around.

"Isn't it? Damian got good grades, and didn't beat anyone up and we got this!" Stephanie spread her arms at the bounce house in front of them, "I mean he was a little confused at why we wanted a bounce house but Bruce doesn't understand fun so"

Harley kicked off her shoes, scooting across the grass, "Brucey understands fun just fine kiddies"

"Ew", Damian's shoes nearly hit Stephanie with the force that he kicked his shoes off, racing towards the bounce house before Harley could get into it, "Me first!"  
Damian slide into the bounce house, with Harley on his heels, nearly tackling him as she went in. She crashed into the wall, bouncing backwards as she did, giggling. Stephanie was right behind them, amused with the whole situation.

Harley tilted her head back, teetering to her feet, "Did you like rent this or", she bounced a bit, the shock waves nearly made Damian fall, he crashed into the wall.

"WAH!" He steadied himself, "It's a rental. For a week. Grayson said he'd be coming by when he heard. Also something about, 'Needing to check out Stepmom'"

"Ninja moves there Dami!" Stephanie laughed, crashing herself into the wall, making her bounce into the other wall, and then into Harley.

She laughed, shoving Stephanie away from her, "What is with all of you guys trying to get me ta marry Brucie? We've only been goin' a few weeks you know"

Damian and Stephanie exchanged a look before she replied, "He likes you though, like a lot. That's why you're still here. Even with the whole evil clown thing"

"I was a Harlequin. Not the same thing. Joker is an evil clown. And I was just weird not evil. It's not my fault you are educated in clown culture"

"That's ridiclious. Also I would like to see if our weight combined can make Brown go through the roof", Damian smirked, winding his fingers together, "Are you for it? I know she's rather heavy"

"I'm gonna put you both through the roof!" Harley jumped, making the ripple go through the whole house. Damian smacked into the roof, Stephanie nearly reached it, when they came down, Harley found herself flying through the air.

Harley giggled, dropping herself onto the bed, she panted slightly, "That was so much fun! Why don't we have a bounce house all the time"

"You don't live here", Bruce reminded her, undoing his tie, "Or do you , I can't tell anymore and I think Alfred has starting setting five places for every meal. Stop that", he turned,  
with a smile on his face, to show that he was in fact joking, "I'm glad you and the kids had fun with the bounce house. I still have no idea why he wanted that…"

"Because you don't understand fun", Harley picked a pillow off of the bed. She threw it across the room, connecting with Bruce's face with a smack, "Have you ever been in a bounce house in your life? Have you Brucie?"

Bruce removed his shirt, he tossed it over his shoulder, watching in the mirror as it hit Harley's face. She pulled it off, wrinkling her nose, "How the hell do you sweat so much when all you do is sit in an office all day?" She was too busy glaring at his shirt to notice Bruce's slightly grimace in the mirror, "You don't sweat that much when you sleep. I would notice"

"Why are we talking about my sweat? Some women like when their men sweat"

Harley came up behind him, putting her arms around him, "Oh so you're my man now are you? And we're talking about it because you stink; you think Alfred likes how bad you smell"

Bruce smiled at her, looking back at the pair of them in the mirror. He could see the brown trying to push through the blond, she hadn't dyed her hair in long enough that it was clear she was telling the truth about not being a true blond.

For a moment he could imagine how she looked without the blond dye, her hair brown hanging down around her face. It wouldn't change her looks that much, but somehow it reminded him of someone else.

His mind flashed back for a moment, to another day, so long ago. His parents had stood in front of their mirror, his father trying to pick a tie that he didn't hate. His mother had been stuck to him, trying to convince him that the tie he had in his hand was perfectly okay. He had been sitting on the bed, watching them, thinking about the day he'd be allow to go with them whenever they went out.

"Bruce?"

For a moment all he could hear was his mother, calling his name, all he could see in the mirror was his father, his mother behind him, a smile on her face.

"Bruce!"

It took a moment for his eyes to readjust, and it was Harley and him there again.

"You weren't there", Harley stood in front of the mirror and touched his cheek gently, just brushing her fingers over the skin, "You…were someone where totally different. Are you okay?"

"F-fine" he stumbled over his words, still seeing his mother's face laid over Harley's. They didn't look anything alike, but his mind was convinced there had to be some connection there, "I'm fine..Really I'm…"

"I can feel you shaking, the last thing you are is fine. You can tell me, you can trust me", she twisted her fingers into Bruce's, trying to transfer some of her warmth to him, "…is it your parents?"

As she held his hand, she felt a shiver go through him and Bruce tried to pull away, but Harley pulled him back.

"You can't just hide from me. Just because it hurts doesn't mean that you can't tell me"

Bruce pulled away, detangling his fingers as he went, "It's nothing. You worry too much about nothing"

"You think you can fool me right? Because I'm just Harley Quinn, nothing special", she dropped her hand, forming them to fists by her sides, "Or do you not trust me because of who I am!"

"Harley"

"No, don't Harley me, you don't…you can't just stand here and not tell me what's wrong with you! I'm your girlfriend aren't I? Or am I just really something to pass the time until you get bored of me?"

Bruce didn't say anything, just turned away, rubbing his face in his hands, "I can't explain right now. It's not you…"

"It's me"

He didn't look up when the door shut behind her, with a small click rather than a mighty crash like he was expecting. It was stupid, to get so upset about something that he could have just told her about. Of course he couldn't even get the words out for Alfred who knew so much already. And now Harley was gone.

There was really only one word for this, "Fuck"

The walk back to Gotham wasn't pleasant, but she did it, glaring at anyone who dared honk their horn at her on the way. It might have been stupid or petty to run off like that, but she felt like there was something being held back.

Something she could have helped with. Of course it had nothing to do with her, she had her own issues to work out and she had lashed out at Bruce about them when she should have been helping him. He just couldn't open up. Not even to her.

He had told her about the fact he had no desire to have sex, about how much he had loved Damian's mother, even when it had all gone wrong.

But he couldn't just come out and tell her why looking at the pair of them in the mirror made him look like his whole world was falling apart.

Maybe they were just too messed up people, to the point where they weren't going to work.

But at least they had to try.

Just not right now.


	4. Chapter 4

Notes:

Oh god guys I'm so sorry this took so long to get out for you, but I am still working on this fic, just...I don't always have a lot of energy these days.

Just a warning for blood and violence in this one as well as mentions of abuse.

The first time Harleen Quinzel met Bruce Wayne, he was touring the Asylum, being a major donor he wanted to make sure his funds were going to good use. She was as charming as she could have been, but the whole time she looked at him all she could think of was how different he was from the Joker. She had already fallen under the spell of the man and wanted to understand what made him so different from everyone else.

When she looked at Bruce Wayne, she just say that he didn't have that same spark that her puddin' did. At the time she assumed that spark was creativity or intelligence, what made the Joker great. Now she knew it was cruelty and amusement that the little doctor thought she could understand him.

The first time Harley Quinn met Bruce Wayne she was shoving a gun into his face, demanding his wallet while threatening that no one try to be a hero. She didn't see the same man that had been at the Asylum that first time. Then he was showing vague interesting in what was going on, but still managed to look like he didn't care. Now there was something hard in his eyes, like he was daring her to try and hurt someone.

But it didn't scare her. Not in the same way the Joker's violent outbursts scared her. She knew Bruce was just trying to protect himself. He had a reason to lash out if it came to that.

He wouldn't hurt her for no reason.

For some people the walk she was talking would have given them aching muscles and sore feet. Thankfully Harley wasn't some people. Not so thankfully she didn't have the pain to distract her from her thoughts.

Even after months of therapy her desire was still to assume that the fault laid with her. Maybe the issue was that Bruce didn't feel he could open up to someone who had done what she had done in the past.

There was some part of her brain that wasn't so broken down by the abuse of the past few years, was attempting to inform her that it wasn't her fault. Bruce wasn't the healthiest person mentally, there was no way to assume that he wasn't trusting her because of her past. Of course the rational thoughts were shoved into a dark corner of her mind where she choose not to remember.

In some ways it was easier to blame herself then try to puzzle out what was going on in Bruce's brain. She wasn't his therapist or his doctor, she couldn't do anything for him standing out here without anyway of talking to him.

Harley wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly despite the fact it was a warm night. It just felt...a little bit like there was someone watching. Which in Gotham was always possible, but she could defend herself if she was forced to.

Walking by an alley the gleam of something in the back and little bit too much motion caught her attention. Just barely she could see the outline of someone, maybe two someone's struggling in the dark. She dropped her arms to her side, stepping lightly so not to be heard. That was a talent that she learned form Selina, walk like a cat.

The closer she got the more she could see and hear, the almost quiet whimpering of someone in pain and a man grumbling at the other figure to shut up and just let him do what he wanted.

Something just snapped within Harley, she flew forward grabbing the man by the shoulder and ripping him away from the other woman. She could just barely see the skin where the woman's shirt had been torn straight down to her stomach.

"Leave her alone", Harley said, her hand still gripping into the man's shoulder. His eyes were wide, and bloodshot, looking more red than white. He looked like he wasn't expecting someone to stop him but when he managed to focus and realize it wasn't the Batman, he just...sort of laughed.

His hand pulled up, the metal of the gun glinting in the moonlight. She stared like she couldn't believe that he was about to do it, "Shut up bitch!" his hand came down, smashing into her cheek and eye, a bit catching above her eye, blood dripping down.

She blinked, it hurt of course but she had dealt with a lot worse with her time with the Joker. She had been beaten beyond this, put in more casts then she could count. That didn't make her any less angry though, she had promised herself in the hospital that she wouldn't let anyone beat her anymore. Including this lowlife bastard.

Harley pulled on his shoulder, twisting him around as her other hand grasped his arm. She didn't give him a chance to react as she pulled and shoved his arm upwards. The pop of his shoulder coming out was what she was looking for, "I said leave her alone", she flicked her head the blood flying a little bit.

"Let...go...of..me", his voice was hoarse, clearly from the pain of having his shoulder pulled out. He wiggled against her hold, attempting to break free from her. Maybe if she was a normal human it would have worked but…

The hand that was on his shoulder moved up, grasping his hair. It only took her a moment for the quick movement, slamming his head straight into the wall before him with a heavy thud. Harley released the man, dropping him to the ground.

"Is...is he did?" the woman stuttered form her huddled position against the wall.  
Harley pulled the back of her hand across her forehead, the blood was starting to dry against her eyebrow and eyelashes. Gross, "Who cares?" She muttered, but kneeled down pressing her fingers against the man's neck. A pulse, just barely there, "He's alive"

The woman gasped gently, a thump following the noise, "You would be in more trouble if he was dead", the deep voice wasn't one that she would forget easily so she didn't even have to turn to see how was speaking.

"He's lucky didn't do more. He hurt her", she pressed a hand to her cheek, wincing slightly at the pain and the shifting of the bone. She was going to have a seriously messed up cheek in the morning because of her healing. Harley turned on her heel, facing the Batman face on, or rather chest on since he was so much taller than her, "Like you haven't done worse"

Batman didn't say anything, his gloved hand touched her injured cheek, the other hand coming up under her chin, "That won't heal right if you don't let me fix that"

She snorted slightly, "DOn't fuck up my pretty face Batboy", Harley simply closed her eyes, she wasn't sure what he was doing, it didn't make much sense to her that he would care so much.

"The police are coming", his hand moved to her waist, pulling her against him, "we're getting out of here"

The sirens reached her ears only a moment later, apparently he had some kind of police radio or something, "What do you mean we're?" She opened her eyes, looking up at him with her eyebrow arched as much as she could threw the pain.

The arm not holding her shot to the sky, something flying from his wrist. The damn grappling hook. The moment her feet left the ground she wrapped her arms around his neck, not fancying the idea of falling on her ass while flying in the air.

She wasn't sure what he caught his hook on but they landed squarely on the roof. They stood there for a moment still wrapped around each other. Harley tilted her head up, looking at the man she had on more than one occasion had tried to kill.

Her mind leapt to Bruce, she had tried to kill him too. Harley put her hands against Batman's chest, pushing him away from herself. She crossed her arms, taking a step back, "Shouldn't you be tattling on me to my parole officer or something?"

Batman didn't speak, his hands went to her busted cheek. His fingers moved gently, even with the thick gloves on to reposition the bone so it would heal straight. Harley winced, feeling the sharp pain of her bone being moved.

"I'll take you home", he told her, his hand still on her cheek.  
"That's not an answer!" she could have sworn that he smirked under that mask, just before a mist sprayed in her face from his wrist, "Wha..", normally she wouldn't feel the effects of anything that someone tried to use on her but this time...she was starting to feel a little whoozy.

"Something I made just for you", Batman wrapped his arms around her again. Harley could feel her legs go out from underneath her, almost glad that he was holding her. Almost, if he hadn't just knocked her out so she wouldn't fight him.

"D...ick", she whispered, the dark closing in around her sight.

Bruce sighed, looking at Harley's pale face, the bruises already blooming where she had been hit. He had been only following her to protect her, but she had ended up protecting another woman. At least he had her with him now, hopefully that would be enough to keep her from getting her more.

Alfred had asked him if he was planning on stalking Miss Quinn until they made up or only for this night. Bruce hadn't answered that, but he had to admit, as he generally was, Alfred was right. He was following his girlfriend, just because he couldn't talk to her.

Now he had knocked her out.

Harley would have a field day with that if she ever found out what he had done.

"I'm just trying to protect you", he whispered, sliding his hand under her legs. That was something he tried to do with everyone he cared about. Maybe he didn't do it always in the right ways, but at least he was trying.

Trying to make up for the other people he hadn't been able to save in his life, or just trying to save everyone because he had to do something he wasn't sure. That wasn't something that he had time to think about, standing above of a crime scene with Harley in his arms.

He would get her home and to bed, so she could sleep. She would be safe for that night.

Harley groaned, pulling her covers over her head. Her face hurt, her head hurt, a greatly unpleasant feeling that she couldn't totally remember where it came from. She had been walking home that night then…

"Ugh", she pressed her hands to her first, she had done something amazingly stupid in getting herself pistol whipped in the face, "Stupid Batman, stupid Bruce Wayne, stupid men"  
The throbbing in her cheek didn't go away with her complaining, though she could feel that it was hurting less than the night before. Thank god for increased healing, she wouldn't have to explain why her face was black and blue to her students or her coworkers.

She swung her feet out of the bed, groaning as she got to her feet. The last thing she really wanted to do was be awake right now, but sleeping all day wasn't the best option either. There was things that she needed to do.

Harley made her way to the front room, taking a moment to notice the piece of paper on the floor. It had been slid under her door, but she couldn't see what it was. Bending over to pick up the paper she groaned again, the blood rushing to her face made her bruises throb.

It was a note from a flower shop, they had left something outside her door. She opened the door, a pot with one bright red flower, one that she couldn't identify was standing in front of her. Harley picked up the pot, and stuck her face into the flower taking a deep breath of the scent.

A note was attached, a little white card with black writing on it.

Picking up the card, she read the writing, not a style she knew but it was possible the florist had written it.

'For my doctor', was all the card said.

She couldn't think of who could have sent it for a moment, who would know she was here. The doctor comment made her jump to the Joker. She had been his doctor and for a moment a cold ball of fear dropped into her stomach. But he wouldn't send flowers. Or not a real flower at least, something that sprayed laughing gas may be.

It had to be Bruce, his way of trying to make it up to her after what had happened the night before. She smiled, satisfied with that answered and she placed the plant on the counter. Even with her sore cheek, she had to smile. It was a lovely plant.


	5. Chapter 5

The paper was spread out before Bruce on his desk, it had appeared in his mail something that shouldn't haven't been there. Someone either hadn't noticed it or was trying to be funny, either way he wasn't amused. A large picture was spread across the paper, Harley's head was leaning against his shoulder, her eyes closed as her mouth was spread into a wide smile. a look that he had seen on her face many times. The look on his face wasn't something he was used to seeing, though, he couldn't place the look in his eyes, but the headline had.

"Playboy finds love in former Inmate".

He couldn't decide which part he disliked more, the privacy of his and Harley's relationship being interrupted by the media, or the fact they had to call her an inmate, like that, was the only part that mattered.

Bruce crumpled up the paper, tossing it into the trashcan. He would consider something to fix those idiots another day.

The telephone rang a sound that he was sure he would be hearing for the rest of the day. The reporters wanting to know just everything about his relationship with Harley. He scowled, picking up the receiver, "Yes?"

"Nice pictures Bruce", a reporter, but thankfully a reporter that Bruce could actually deal with. Clark Kent knew how to push a few buttons, but he wouldn't print anything Bruce said to him.

"Trying to get the scoop on?" He leaned backwards in his desk chair, pressing his hand to his forehead, "Because I don't have anything to say. Even if it is you"

Clark chuckled, and Bruce could just see him shaking his head, "I just wanted to congratulate you. You look happy though you couldn't have found someone who doesn't have a criminal record?"

Bruce grunted, shifting the telephone a bit as he turned around in his chair to look outside at the city skyline, "If I were ever arrested for the things I've done, I think we both know I would have a record as well"

"IS she reformed then? I mean, I heard this started as a way to keep on eye on her, but you seem to have gone beyond that now…", Clark's voice held a tone of teasing in his voice, clearly amused with Bruce's situation.

"I'm hanging up now", Bruce pressed his fingers to his head, as good as of a friend as Clark was that didn't make him any less annoying.

"Hey we should doub-", Bruce didn't let him finish that thought, just slammed the telephone down on the base.

He pressed his intercom, connecting with his assistant, "Hold all of my calls. Please. For the rest of the day", he didn't let her answer, just released the button. He would need some sort of quiet if he wanted to get anything done.

Ivy had been stuck isolation for months before her escape, a new way of keeping her powers in control until they thought she could be reformed. Reformed or depowered, whichever one was easiest in the end. She had no contact with the outside population, and only one doctor had been allowed any contact with her.

So when she finally broke out (they had underestimated how strong her powers were, the sewer under her cell had enough pond scum that she could use. Her cell no longer existed), she had plenty that she had to learn about what she had missed.

Her plan had been to get Harley and maybe get out of the city for a little vacation. Her thoughts hadn't even went to the idea that Harley had been reformed. Ivy had still gone to find her, and find her Ivy had.

Just a little bit of watching, the flowers outside of Harley's office were easy enough to speak with, asking if they had felt anything bad coming from the office. All they could say was that the pretty one gave them lots of water and she was very sunny. All good things according to plants, still she wasn't convinced.

So Ivy watched something that she found hard. She just wanted to speak with Harley, touch her or kiss her, just to show Harley that she still loved her. It might have been a little sad, to some people, the fact that she was watching a woman like this, but she just wanted to know.

Maybe she wanted to know that Harley wasn't happy without her, that she missed the life of crime and excitement. Or just missed Ivy even. She didn't find any indication of that, Harley was as happy as could be.

It was bizarre, seeing Harley living out such a mundane life when she had been the woman who thought that breaking into a department store was a great date. Now she was working a school, living in a shitty apartment and buying second-hand clothes.

Harley had gone from the clown princess of crime, to normal. Normal and happy. That part was what was rubbing Ivy so wrong, that the woman who had been so off the wall was so...like everyone else.

Or it was possible it was the man Harley was seeing was what was rubbing her the wrong way. It shouldn't have mattered if Harley was happy, without bruises or broken bones, but Ivy was jealous. Jealous that, that man was touching her, kissing her, loving her.

Bruce Wayne didn't deserve Harley, but Harley deserved to be happy. And that's what she should have been concerned about.

The Joker did never reacted well to anything he didn't want to hear. One of his henchmen had brought him the paper, putting it on the desk with a smack. The Joker had taken one look at it and started laughing as hard as he could.

"I thought you'd want to see it, Boss…", the man, whose name the Joker couldn't even begin to care to remember said, as he began to back up, closer to the door. He had thought he was being smart, let the boss know as soon as possible, but apparently he had made the wrong choice in that regard.

The Joker cackled, slamming his hands down on the desk, "Oh of course I want to know! I want to know everything that idiot is doing! She left didn't she, left everything behind because she couldn't take a little joke!"

never a mention that the joke he was referring to was beating Harley so badly that even with her metahuman abilities she had been put into a full body cast and need extensive physical therapy. To the Joker as long as he thought funny, it didn't matter what harm he brought to other people.

He removed a knife from his pocket, laying the paper flat against his desk. With as much precision as a surgeon, he began to crave the picture from the paper. The Joker held it up so that he could see it clearly, nearly a perfect square of paper.

"She went and got herself some damn pretty boy did she?" The Joker crooked his fingers, motioning for the henchman to come closer. The man hesitated a moment too long for the Joker, "GET OVER HERE"

The man in his fear scooted closer to the desk, his fingers tapping on his palm. The Joker looked at the man, leaning over the desk slightly before he pulled his gun out. The henchman didn't have time to react before a bullet between his eyes, his body slumping over the desk.

Picking up the knife again, he thrust it into the man's neck, when he pulled it out the blood rushed forth just enough. The Joker stuck his fingers in it, dragging the blood soaked digits over the paper. When he was done both Harley and Bruce had large bloody smiles spread across their faces.

"Much better", he leaned back, holding the still bloody piece of paper up the light. He laughed again like the picture was the funniest thing that he had ever seen in his life.

Joker stood up, slamming his hands and the paper onto the desk. Before he walked away from his desk, he took the knife slamming it into the paper and the wood of the desk. Right, straight through Harley's face, between her now bloody eyes.

He strolled out into the main part of his hideout, where the rest of the henchmen were waiting, looking rather terrified at whatever it was that their boss might do.

"We're going to need...some newspapers boys", he threw his hands in the air, laughing. His actions made the henchmen draw a sigh of relief, he wasn't going to be killing them tonight.

His plan didn't make any sense to them, but the ones that lived long enough had learned there was no reason to question the boss if they wanted to continue to live.  
*

Batman landed on the roof, his boots making barely a thump on the rocky surface. There wasn't any reason for him to be out, Nightwing was in town and even if he wasn't, Batwoman or one of the others could have been working. Dick had even offered to take over his time tonight when he had heard about the fight. Batman had refused. He choose to come out when he had other options.

The picture was itching at the back of his mind, reminding him that despite what the headline said, he and Harley currently weren't the happy couple in that picture. He had to wonder if Harley had seen the picture and was thinking the same thing he was. What had happened to the pair of them and could they get that back or were they done before they had even begun.

For most people, they wouldn't have been able to hear Selina when she landed on the roof, but he had heard her so many times he would have known her anywhere.

"What do you want?" He didn't even turn his head to look at her as she stepped ever so lightly over to him, "I'm not really in the mood for you tonight"

"I saw the picture", she said, her hand touching his arm, in an attempt to be comforting possibly. He shook the touch off, turning away from her, "It's not that bad, you have your picture plastered all over everything all of the time don't you?"

Batman turned back towards her, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her, "It's different"

Catwoman put her hands on her hips, giving him a look that would have sent most men packing with their tail between their legs, "Because of her?" They both knew who she was talking about without referring to a name, "It's that serious is it?"  
"This is not the time or the place for this conversation", he hissed, squaring his shoulders back as he glared down at her.

She poked his chest with one finger, "Do not pull that Batman bullshit on me, I am not afraid of you. And I'm not jealous of her"

"Then what is this all about", despite any romantic interaction they had shared, it wasn't in his nature for him to open up to anyone, "Why are you so interest in something that doesn't concern you?"

Catwoman pulled her hand away from his chest, putting her hands on her hips, "Harley is my friend, I've seen what she went through with him, I'm just trying to protect her. Having her face plastered all over everything is going to cause some issues"

He tilted his head, finally softening to her attempts, if only because Harley's safety was concerned, "He'll be coming after her, abusive and jealous that anyone else has her when he can't", He had been so concerned with his own feelings he hadn't even considered what might happen if their relationship was that public.

"He's going to be coming for her. And for you. I'd step up security, maybe keep her at the house with you"

"She won't like that", if not for his control he might have flinched. He would rather have her with him, but the chances that she would let him do anything at this point, "She's…"

"Independent", Catwoman finished with a sigh, "I can watch her, and I'm sure you have enough of a brood now that they can too. Especially if you two are fighting"

That time he did flinch, he had assumed that she couldn't tell there was something going on with them, but apparently he was very wrong, "Disagreement. Not a fight"

Catwoman made a noise, rolling her eyes at him, "Fine. I'll watch her, and you watch her and we'll hope that one of us gets to him before he gets to her"

"Agreed"

Despite the fact his henchmen were the most inept people that he could have hired, he had a fantastic pile of copies or newspapers with the one picture he wanted. A practical ocean of the picture, the disgusting picture that he could barely stand to look at. But this was the first step, just the first step of his grand joke on Gotham and his disloyal henchwench.

The local university library wouldn't be very happy to see how much paper and toner had been used during the night. Joker didn't have any concern for them, he had the boys leave his card that would cover everything. His card being an actual Joker playing card that was coated with a liquid version of Joker Gas. Now, why couldn't he sees the look on whatever idiot's face who grabbed his card that would most certainly be a gas.

Oh, how he cracked himself up, too bad no one else seemed to get his jokes. Maybe Batman did, but he just didn't pay attention long enough to get the joke. He liked the pretend that he didn't like the joke.

All of Gotham was going to be in on this new joke, though, and they would laugh as much as he wanted them to.


	6. Chapter 6

Harley was going to murder something, damn her parole and damn going back to Arkham someone was going to have to die for this. The first thing that had greeted her when she woke up was not the view of the building next store, but the image of her own face. It was the picture that had been in the paper the previous day but with a few alterations. Someone, she had her guesses, had scribbled a bright red smile over her mouth and black circles around her eyes. Like a mockery of the makeup she had worn once upon a time. It was enough to make her want to puke. She pulled her shade down with enough force that it almost snapped off its rod.

She pulled her knees to her chest, pressing her head to her knees. Of course, the universe was telling her right now that Harley Quinn wasn't allowed a moment of piece. She was happy with Bruce and then he had gone off the deep end on her. Now when he had sent her flowers like he was trying to makeup, her past was coming back all in a rush at her. Harley took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth like the therapists had taught her. Technically she knew what was happening, she had studied it enough, but it was hard to admit when you were having a PTSD flashback.

"Don't you know you're useless?" it felt like the voice was coming from everywhere in the room, that whine of a voice she had once wished would say I love you.  
Harley covered her ears with her hands, shutting her eyes as tight as she could. He wasn't there, he wasn't there, he could be there and she wasn't going to let some stupid memory get to her like this. She was beginning to taste bile in her mouth, hinting to her that she was not okay and that she would not be okay for the rest of the day.

She groped for the phone, knocking it to the floor in the process. She didn't want to look up to find the phone, just encase she saw the pictures again. Harley let out a choked sobbed, she didn't have the energy to deal with this today. And she couldn't even get out of bed to get away from the fucking pictures.

She almost wanted the cold white walls of Arkham again, at least then they might have been able to give her something to knock her out. Then she wouldn't have to think, sometimes she missed that lovely cloud that the drugs would put her on. That or Ivy. She wanted Ivy so badly right now, Ivy could take everything away. Ivy would pet her hair and tell her it was all okay…

She could almost imagine the green hand against her head, warm breast underneath her head…but the breast was hard instead of soft…and the skin was pale rather than green. Bruce, she wanted Bruce. He should have been there petting her hair and telling her that it would be alright.

Harley wanted to vomit, just vomit and hope that would mean it would all finally be okay. Or maybe do something worse, there was always a knife in the—she nearly slapped herself at that thought, that was the PTSD talking. That was the Joker talking and he wasn't going to take her life away without one hell of a goddamn fight.

Bruce felt his heart drop into his stomach, he always watched the news just encase there was something that his scanners hadn't caught. This was not what he had expected after seeing the paper yesterday, but maybe he should have been. The screen showed the streets of Gotham littered with the article and photo of him and Harley, his eyes crossed out and her face almost covered with black and red. Apparently the Joker wasn't pleased with the news that his ex-had found happiness with someone that wasn't him. Not that she would have ever found happiness with that bastard.

He wrapped his hands around the remote, as the screen continued to show buildings, cars, even trees were covered in those god awful pictures. As the reporter spoke, Bruce could just barely hear what was being said but he caught one word. Joker. The Joker. Everyone knew that's who had done it, but there was no way to prove it unless he took credit. Or there was a second half to the plan. Harley. Harley might not be safe.

With a word to Alfred, something about how he wouldn't be going to work that day he excused himself to the garage, it didn't really matter how mad or upset at each other they were right now. He was going to go be with her. And convince her that the safest place to be right now was in the mansion with him.

Harley had managed to call the school to inform them she wouldn't be in today, of course, they understood they were closing the school anyways just encase the Joker was planning something that would involve the whole city rather than just her. At least, that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. But now her stomach was twisting with the idea that her students might be in danger.

So she was sitting in her living room, where she could see the door and tackle anyone who tried to come through (not to mention the only room without a window). She had managed to calm down to a point, she was good at shoving her emotions down into nothing and pretending that everything was fine. It wasn't so much that she was scared of another beating. She could take physical pain, she had proved that over and over again.

It was the psychological affects that she was worried about. The Joker had a way of twisting your thoughts, making you think that his ideas were your ideas. She knew that he could twist and break her until she was ready to be his little henchwoman again. Harley was strong enough to resist for an amount of time, but everyone broke. A master manipulator was coming for her and she didn't know what the hell she was supposed to do right now.

Hell, maybe she could just beat the shit out of him until he was the one crying, the one in the full body cast who had to do months of therapy only to learn that he might not even have a full range of movement in some of his joints ever again.

While she was stewing in her rather comforting thoughts, there was a knock at the door. Harley almost jumped out of her skin, before she realizes that the Joker wouldn't knock. Or if he would he'd yell something like, "Pizza delivery!" after words.

She got to her feet, holding a kitchen knife close to her thigh as she went. Looking through the peep hole, she breathed a sigh of relief. Not the Joker. Just Bruce. Maybe he wasn't the first person she wanted to see (Ivy was high up on that list), it was definitely a step up from being alone. She opened the door, still holding the knife out of sight.

"Harley", He didn't come in just encase she didn't want to see him but kept one eye on her face and one on her knife. He wasn't sure how she was doing right now, but he didn't want to risk any violence, on his side or hers. Without his suit, he could be in trouble against her.

"Come 'on in, please", she backed away from the door, keeping out of sight form the Hallway, "Not that I'm sure this is the safest thing for you to be doing right now", she shut the door as soon as he was in, locking the door. Not that she was sure it would do much good.

"I have private security waiting if he tries anything you'll be fine", he reached for her shoulder, but took his hand away at the last minute, he didn't want to evade her space if she didn't want him there.

When she looked at him he was surprised at how upset she looked, scared and angry all at the same time, "Bruce did you send me flowers?"

He shook his head, he had been thinking about buying her some jewelry…or a new apartment, but no flowers had been sent form his office. Not with his knowledge. Her reaction surprised him, though, she stalked past into the kitchen. He followed her, only to see her glaring at a vase of roses.

"Did you think I—" he started to ask before she picked it up and smashed it to the ground, water going everywhere. She was surrounded by a ring of roses and glass, just looking down at the ground like she couldn't believe that had just happened, "…It was him wasn't it?"

Harley stared at her legs, bared by her shorts that had a few drops of blood rolling down them down. Bright red against pale skin. A lot of memories had that color profile, painting her face, her own crushed hand, blood red lips on a pale white face. Her legs shook, and she lost all control falling to the ground despite all of the glass.

"Harley!"

*  
Her head hurt, hurt so badly. It did that ever so often despite her super healing abilities, apparently there were some things super powers couldn't cure. Including serious head trauma. She must have hit her head again, something causing the pain that she was experiencing to reassure. That would explain why the idea of opening her eyes made her want to cry and her stomach rolled with bile.

She groaned, about the only sound that she could even think about making right now. Harley rolled over so slightly and did just about vomit straight on to the floor. Someone grasped her head, rubbing the back of her neck until the desire to vomit subsided, and her head was guided back to the pillow.

"Are you alright Miss Harley?" the British accent told her who it was, Alfred. Which meant she was in the manor. That explained why the bed was so soft and nice, though not why her whole body hurt.

"…maybe?" she managed, her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, like she hadn't in a few days, "Water?"

A straw came in contact with her lips, and she managed to take a few sips before it made her stomach roll again.

"You've been out for two days. The doctor believes it was a stress reaction, the ah…"

She winced, she remembered what had happened two days ago. The pictures, the flowers, the cuts on her legs, Bruce. Where was Bruce? She wanted Bruce right now, she wanted someone that cared about her. Someone who wasn't that fucking bastard, "Bruce?"

She could almost hear the smile when Alfred spoke, "He's outside, and I think he was afraid that you wouldn't want to see him. You did faint in his presence. He carried you out to the limo, I thought you might be dead. Gave both of us a terrible fright. I'm glad you're doing alright Miss"

Footsteps out of the room, and then heavier ones into the room. A rough hand clutched here's, making her feel just that much better about everything. It was stupid, but she did that. She formed bonds with people too quickly sometimes. Maybe she shouldn't have relied on him so much, but at the moment, she didn't have to psychoanalyze herself.

"Hey Big guy", she squeezed his hand, feeling the warmth soak into her like she had been freezing, "Did you miss me?"

"Miss your voice for sure, I've begun to realize you talk a lot. Enough that without it…it's been so quiet without you. All of this reminded me why I need you…this might be a lot. After what happened, but I wanted to kill him. For what he did to you. Before and after. I don't want anyone to have that effect on you"

He knew what PTSD was, he knew what it felt like and how easy it was to fall back into those deep pits of memories and painful feelings, "I want you to be okay and I know that I can't make you okay because that's now how the world works. I know I can't wish him away, or kill him"

"Legally", Harley added in, pulling him down closer to her. She heard him as he adjusted himself so his head was right on her shoulder, she could smell the soft scent of leather that always followed him around, "Or at all. Other people have tried it. He's a slippery bastard"

He wanted to laugh, but that was hard right now. He was just glad that her heart was still beating under that skin, that she was safe and with him now and that was all he could do right now, "I would. If I could if it would make you happy"

"You make me happy. Even if you did push me away….I get it…I think. I dunno I'm not supposed to psychoanalyse people without permission"

Maybe the fact that he could have lost her, or that he was full of so many emotions that he couldn't deal with all of them right now, but he spoke, "I saw my mother that day I turned you away, that's all I could see. Was her. And what happened to her. And it…hurt. It hurt to think that there was even the slightest idea that I could lose you again…her again, anyone that I love again"

Harley pressed her lips to Bruce's hair, just ever so gently, "I understand, you don't have to talk yourself into circles. I think we're both a little bit too tired for talking about serious feelings…but I love you too Bruce Wayne"

He pressed his head into her collarbone, his mind a mess about everything, the very idea that he could confuse Harley and his mother, maybe that love was such a mess up thing. Maybe there was some kind of terrible Freudian subtext to all of it that he didn't want to think about. Harley was alive. She was alive and she was with him.

And he was very tired, he hadn't slept for the past two days attempting to track down the Joker. He wanted to make the Joker hurt, hurt and then throw him into a cell where he couldn't get out of. Or maybe he should just catch the Joker and let Harley go to town on his ass. It would be more satisfying for her, to make him hurt like he had hurt her so many times over the years.

"I can hear your gears going, you should stop thinking so hard", Harley's fingers threaded in his hair now, "Maybe you should sleep"

"Maybe you should", he said, but he could already feel his mind drifting into nothing.


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce tented his fingers as he stared at the Batcave's screen, trying to decipher the images before him. There wasn't any sort of riddle or code there, just a collection of pictures that made his stomach turn. The idea of any woman being hunted by the Joker was bad enough, but the fact that it was Harley…It made anger burn in his throat. It felt like was his fault, if he hadn't been with Harley she wouldn't have appeared on the front page and the Joker wouldn't have any idea of where she was. Of course he knew that wasn't totally true, there was always the chance that something else would have set the Joker off and she would have been found out anyway.

At the very least she was safe inside the mansion now, however over stressed and upset she was. Now all that he had to do was find the Joker and beat the ever-loving hell out of him. No one deserved what had happened to Harley, but the fact that she was so close to him made it that much more personal to him.

He knew that when things got personal he tended to react without thinking, but it was hard to see through the blinding rage that he was experiencing. It was the same as when anything happened to his kids. They were his family and he would do whatever it took to bring down that bastard once and for all.

Or try his best, because somehow the Joker never stayed down for long, at least not long enough for it to do any good. The only permanent solution was one that he didn't care to think of. No matter how much it might save the people of Gotham, not matter how much it might save Harley pain. He didn't kill people and he wasn't about to start just because it might make him feel a little bit better.

"She's watching cartoons with Damian, they're making comments about the characters mental health status", Dick leaned over the back of his chair, "I think they're enjoying themselves, but I can't really tell anymore"

Bruce grunted, tapping a few keys on his keyboard as the pictures disappeared off the screen replaced with icons, "As long as they're enjoying themselves I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. She is resting isn't she?"

Dick nodded, his head bobbing against the back of the chair, "She's in bed, Damian is sitting with her. I took pictures. It's almost like they like each other"

He snorted, turning his chair so that Dick had to move with it, "They do like each other, maybe not as Damian likes you but…"

"Are you going after him?" Dick leaned against the console, giving Bruce a pointed look. He knew what was going on, everyone in the mansion did and he wanted to know what was going on.

"We have no idea where he is", Bruce didn't want to be the first one to say his name, preferring to pretend that they weren't talking about a murderous abuser, "And I would rather stay close to her in case there's some sort of emergency"

"She's doing okay and she's a super healer, I think that we can afford to look for him", Dick didn't mention that he thought Bruce might be over paranoid at the idea that Harley couldn't survive without him.

"We'll go tonight, there's no point in running around in the daylight looking for him. We'll just ourselves in trouble if we do that. I'll work on it down here, unless you have some sort of amazing clue that I haven't seen yet?"

Dick shrugged, tapping a key and allowing the pictures to pop up again, "Besides that this is a little…I dunno personal even for the Joker? Normally he's paint a building with his face or poison the whole city. Plastering the city in fucked up pictures of her face is…"

"Disturbing", Bruce filled in, staring at the pictures. He hadn't even known that anyone was taking those pictures. He had been so engrossed with Harley, with how happy she looked that he could barely see anything but her.

"Disturbing", Dick agreed as Harley's defaced picture grinned back at them.

Harley's hand stroked Damian's hair, he had fallen asleep half way through a cartoon that she barely understood. She was feeling her own eyes getting droopy but the twisting fear in her stomach made it hard to think about such a thing. It was silly, that she was so safe in the mansion but she was still so scared of what could happen. She was sure that this place had security like nothing else, there was very few break-ins at Wayne Manor. Still the lingering doubt that she wasn't safe nagged at her.

It had been gone for a little while when Bruce had been with her, but now it just came back to her. Damian's distraction had been welcome but all the while she felt the reality of what had happened. Of what was going to happen coming down on her.

"You should be taking deep breathes", Damian muttered, his head not moving from her shoulder, "I can hear your heart beating, which I doubt in your condition is healthy. Father would not like it if you had a heart attack"

Harley held back a laugh, even after knowing him for a while Damian's strange adult way of speaking still got to her a little bit, "Thanks kid. I'll keep that in mind. And you wouldn't be upset if I had a heart attack then? Is that what you're implying?"

Damian simply tch at her, a noise that she learned meant he didn't want to talk about it anymore. That was okay with her, his word had been enough to bring her down a little bit. And he was right, she should be taking deep breaths considering she was on the edge of a panic attack.  
When there was a knock on her door, it became clear that her nerves were more far-gone than she had thought, nearly jumping out of bed at the noise. But if was just Alfred, even if his face said that he was carrying some bad news with him.

"Miss Harley, I apologize as you should be resting, but there are some officers here that would like to speak with you. Master Bruce called them after your incident", he pushed open the door just slightly and a larger man in a trench coat barreled past him.

"That's detective to you", the man gave Alfred a glare, which the butler just ignored, "Detective Harvey—"

"I know who you are Detective. I'm not brain damaged, just tired", Harley gave him a glare of her own, not pleased with how Alfred was being treated.

"There might be someone brain damaged in here," Damian murmured, just loud enough that she could hear him and no one else in the room did.

Harley stifled a laugh, "And where's your partner? I'd rather be lookin' at her right now then you"

Almost on cue Detective Montoya came through the door, giving Alfred a small smile as she did so, "I'm sorry Miss Quinn, I advised my partner that in cases like yours most women would rather speak to a female officer, but he doesn't seem to agree"

Bollock wrinkled his nose in a way that said just what he thought of Montoya's attempts at civility, "I don't think that there's another case of whacked out clown on whacked out clown violence"

Harley had been willing to speak to them up until that point, maybe she would have even wanted to speak to just Montoya, but the stress of everything, the judgement that she faced again and again. No Harley Quinn couldn't be a battered woman because she was a criminal, because sometimes she wore a little bit of face paint.

"If that's what you think I don't get why you're here", Harley wrapped her hands in the blankets, pulling them closer to her body. She was tired, too tired to deal with all of this. She wanted to get out of bed, she wanted to yell at them.

To his credit, Alfred stepped in, putting himself between the bed and the police officers, "I must ask that if you're going to harass Miss Harley that you leave. Now. Or I will be forced to speak with Master Bruce and he may be forced to speak to Commissioner Gordon"

Bollock was ready to argue but Montoya nodded her head, grasping her partner by the arm, "Come 'on Meathead. I'm sorry about this Miss Quinn", she said tugging Harvey out of the room despite his protests. 

Harley leaned back into her bed, any of the nervous energy that she had possessed before had drained out of her at the confrontation. She hated cops, even though she knew there were good ones they just set her on high alert. Honestly she didn't think that they would be able to catch him anyways, she would have left that job to the Batman. Not that he was going to be able to get in there and interview her.

"Should have punched them", Damian had been there for the whole exchange not saying a word after his comment about Harvey, "Not that I suppose that would have helped. But if might have made you feel better"

"True that little guy", Harley said patting his head gently, "True that"

Despite the fact that he knew he had to be looking, Bruce still felt a tingle of apprehension as he stood on top of one of Gotham's churches, Nightwing silently beside him. Damian had chosen to stay at home, arguing that someone needed to look after Harley. Bruce was fairly sure that the attraction of someone who made fun of cartoons with you was enough for Damian but he didn't comment. At least there would be something there for her.

"Any chatter?" Nightwing asked noticing that his mentor hadn't moved or said a word. Not altogether an unusual action, but considering what was going on he had to ask.

"Nothing. They've been taking down the posters all day, but keep finding more. Unknown if he's replacing them or there are just that many. No sign of any other activity. I don't like it"

Nightwing nodded his head, he wasn't overly fond of the idea of the Joker doing nothing either. It might mean that he was plotting something or that he had a plan that was already in motion. One they had no idea about. It could mean that Harley was in more danger then they thought or it could mean that his plan wouldn't come into effect until a week later. Neither Option settled well with Batman, the Joker was too unpredictable. But one thing was clear, when he had a goal in mind he would go after it like a rabid dog. He wanted Batman dead? He was refusing to stop until his goal was fulfilled? He wanted Harley…they didn't even know what he wanted with Harley? Did he want her dead? Tormented? Back? Whatever his twisted plan was, Batman wasn't about to let it happen.

"I'm going to check out the apartment. Encase there's anything that we missed", he didn't wait for Nightwing to reply as he shot out his hook and swung away.

Nightwing watched as he went, grumbling to himself. A noise on his police scanner caught his attention, possible break-in at a biology lab. One that specialized in plants. Well that was something he had to deal with, they couldn't have Poison Ivy running around too.

Batman landed on the fire escape of Harley's building, just outside the window like he had been those scant months ago. Before he had known how everything was going to change and go upside down on him. He hadn't expected to fall in love with her, he hadn't expected for her to blend into their family like she had always been there. His biggest hope was that he would find Poison Ivy or realize that yes Harley was truly reformed and it could happen to anyone. It was possible.

More than a few things that he thought impossible were becoming possible in seemed. His mind flashed to a ring, sitting alone in a jewelry back that hadn't been opened in years. Would it even be the right time to try? Was it too soon? Was he just riding the wave of emotions that he felt because she was unsafe? Was it even a good idea? Could he do it if she didn't know his secret?

Too many questions, and if they weren't related to case he couldn't think about them right now. He opened the window, and climbed inside. The apartment looked very much the same as the day he had come to apologize, but the glass and flowers had been cleaned up by the crime scene techs. Even the hint that they were contaminated flowers was a worry in Gotham. He had taken one himself to analyze and there was nothing to it but a rose.

Which he could have guessed. The Joker knew that Harley was immune to poisons and toxins. Unless the clown was trying to kill him, there was no reason to make them anything other than flowers. The fact they were form him was enough. A sick joke, red roses for love, form a man who couldn't love a thing.

His gloved hand gripped the counter as he attempted to steady himself and clear his head. He was getting too involved gain, couldn't think of Harley as anything but another victim. She was Bruce Wayne's girlfriend and right now he had to be the Batman.

The thought cleared his head and he began to rise form his bent over position but he heard something. Barely there, a steady beeping. He opened the cabinets under the sink and with dread in his stomach wasn't surprised with what he found. A pipe bomb, no timer, just a smiling face painted on the front. For the cops or for Harley? Was it remote activated? Or was it for him?

He had no time to consider those questions, there were other people in the building who could be hurt or killed if it went off. Dismantle it and then call the police? No, he would bring back to the cave. Analyze it, figure out just what the Joker had been planning.

There was always that nervous feeling in the back of his head, what if he didn't do this right? What if this was how the hero went? He pushed those thoughts from his mind, unscrewing the cap of the pipe bomb. When he did so a cloud of green smoke exploded out, hitting him in the face. Not a real bomb then but whatever was on his face could be deadly.

He yanked his gas mask out of his belt pushing it onto his face. He had to call Nightwing and get back to the cave, just encase whatever was in the bomb was deadlier then he thought. As those thoughts ran through his mind, he could feel it clouding, he could feel his eyes getting heavier. He barely felt it when he hit the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

"Batman is missing", Nightwing slammed his hands into the console, curling his fingers towards his palms, "How…how did he let this happen!"

Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes against the glare of the monitor, "I don't think he let anything happen. Or maybe he did, he's been…worried"

"…does she know?" He tilted his head up towards the ceiling, where the rest of the household slept.

"It's been five hours Dick, no one wants her to get upset. We haven't even told Damian yet", Barbara had to admit to herself that she had knots in her stomach. For Bruce to be quiet for so long it meant nothing good.

Nightwing scrubbed at this face with his hands, as if he could pull all of the anxiety and nerves away from himself, "I'm going back out"

"It's almost morning, what are you going to be able to find? A bunch of nervous people who don't know why Nightwing is out in the daytime", Barbara grasped his hand as he turned away, trying to pull him back to her, "Please. Go to bed, we'll deal with it I promise"

"Are you going to sleep?" He squeezed her hand, watching as her eyes slide away from him, "That's what I thought. He wouldn't sleep if I was missing, he didn't when you were missing"

Babs flinched but then nodded, not trusting herself to be able to speak, "We'll find him"

*  
It took a moment for Batman to remember just what had happened, forcing his way through swimming thoughts Harley, her apartment, the bomb. Harley. His eyes popped the sudden thought that she wasn't safe. Assured that he couldn't see her, at least as far as his head could turn, he began to take in the rest of his surroundings.

His neck was strapped against a hard surface, with enough room that he could still breath but not much else. There was a metal strap across chest, then his waist. His arms and legs followed the same pattern, making him unable to move. Right in front of his face was a glossy surface, something like a mirror.

Batman struggled against the bonds, knowing that he most likely wouldn't be able to move but having to test something. He could tell just by the feeling that his belt was missing, but if he could move enough that wouldn't matter.

Just as he was making the attempt, the surface in front of him brightened all of a sudden. All it showed was an empty room, looking a bit too much like an integration room.

"Joker", Batman growled, he wasn't in the mood for playing any sort of games, especially not with a man like the Joker, "What is this", It wasn't as if he didn't believe in the Joker's ability to plot and construct a complicated plan, it was more that this wasn't his type of plan. There was no fanfare involved. Just a gas bomb in an apartment that he might not have ever been in.  
Unless…

"You know I don't appreciate people taking what belongs to me", the Joker's disembodied voice floated through the room, the man nowhere to be seen until he popped out of nowhere slamming his hands against the glass, "And you took something from me"

Deciding to play dumb, an attempt to irritate and throw the Joker off of his own game, he answered, "I don't know what you're talking about. No one has seen hide or hair of you in a few weeks"

"Shut. UP. BRUCIE", the red smile twisted up into a snarl, baring yellow teeth, "YOU TOOK HER FROM ME"

"Harley isn't a possession", his theory had been proven right, there had always been the hint that the Joker always had known who he was. It just had never been part of his plans, the Batman had been what was important, not the man under the mask.

"What does it matter what she is! I made her what she was and you just took her out from under me! Just like that green bitch, you can't trust anyone", Joker dragged his hands down the glass, his nails scrapping as they went, "I just have to make her understand, she's forgotten"

"You leave her alone! She wants nothing more to do with you!" he had attempted to keep his temper, but at the suggestion that Joker would do anything to Harley, it just struck a nerve. Batman knew what abusive partners did to women, he knew what the Joker had already done to Harley, he couldn't let her go through that again.

Joker smiled again, his cheeks almost splitting in half, "Oh but she will. She'll come for her precious new man, like the whore she is. She won't let you just die will she? She cares too much, so emotional"

Bruce's voice when low, a deep growl, "When I get out of here I'm going to kill you"

The clown laughed, the sound filling the whole room, bouncing around until it was just a loop of laughing, "That's what I like to hear! Keep that up and we'll have us a good old fight!"

*

"Is Bruce at work?" Harley leaned on the door frame of the Kitchen, yawning as she did so. She had forgotten just how much panic attacks took out of her, she assumed that she had just slept through Bruce going to work. It would have been nice if he had woken her up first to say goodbye at least.

Alfred looked up from the sink full of dishes, taking in her appearance. Despite a good night's sleep there was still dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale, disturbingly making her look like she was wearing her clown make up still.

"Yes Miss Harley, he apologizes that he couldn't be here when you woke up but I believe there was an early morning call. Overseas business and all of that", as bad as he felt about lying about where Bruce was, he knew in the long run it was better for her. She was already nervous enough, with the threat of the Joker hanging over her head she didn't need to believe that her partner was in trouble.

"Work always comes first, I don't blame him. Ah speaking of which, is there a phone that I can use? I don't think it's really safe for me to be going back to work right now", she wrapped her arms around her body, taking a deep breath. It was embarrassing, even though she told her kids not to be embarrassed about their mental illness. Having to call into work to say I can't come in because I'm too scared to go outside. She had done so much work and she could still relapse.

"In the living room, you should have some privacy though I believe the TV is going", he pointed towards the other room, "Just listening to the news"

Harley grasped the door frame, just to hold herself up for a moment, "...Thank you, Al. For everything"

He paused his motions, holding a plate in midair before he smiled slightly, "Of course Miss Harley, after you're done I can make you some breakfast and a bit of tea"

*  
Harley's fingers tapped against the table, waiting to be connected to her boss. She could hear the vague drone of the news in the background, just barely registering against the tone of the phone. Until…

"GREETINGS GOTHAM", the shrill voice cut straight through her as if it was actually a knife. It wasn't if that he hadn't actually stabbed her before so why should his voice by any different, "I have a special announcement for one special lady!"

The phone fell from her hand clattering to the floor, just barely she could hear her boss speaking, calling out her name. But all of her attention was focused on the television, and the Joker's face. He stood right in front of the camera, the ghostly white of his skin and the bright red of his lips were all that she could see.

"That's right Harley! This is all for you! Don't you feel good?" He laughed, shaking the camera rather violently before he pulled away so that the rest of the room could be seen, "I mean isn't that all you want? To feel good? Didn't I do that for you?"

Her heart dropped into her stomach, a cold feeling creeping over her. It wasn't just Joker in the room, it was Batman. He had Batman, "No No no no no no"

Joker grasped Batman's chin in his hands, forcing the man to look into the camera, "Smile! See Harley, look at how happy he is! Don't you just want to come join us? See that's what I want!" He released Batman's chin, before bringing his hand done on Batman's cheek in an open hand slap.

"No. Please no Mister J don't...please", Harley whispered, pressing her hands against her chest. It was a position that she had adopted one too many times, begging for him to hurt her. It never worked but she just had to try, because maybe one time he would change his mind.

"Here's the deal, Honey. You come to me, or…", the camera panned out until the rest of the room could be seen. A large almost cartoonish cannon was pointed at Batman's head, "Boom. You know where to find me. At our little love nest. Midnight. Or I kill him"

"BRUCE", as the screen went dark she screamed and all of the strength went out of her legs as she fell to the ground. For the second time in so many days, Harley blacked out before she did the sounds of rushing footsteps reaching her ears.

*  
Cassandra slid her arms underneath Harley's knees and shoulders, the woman's head lolling against her as she did so, "Is she okay?" Cassandra asked Alfred who was watching, his brow knitted with concern.

"I would hope so, as there is nothing we can do. If she doesn't wake up within the next thirty minutes or so we may have to call the hospital"

Cassandra laid Harley on the couch as gently as she could, brushing a strand of hair off of Harley's head. A moment of tenderness that she had learned from Stephanie, nothing from her childhood, "I don't think she would like that. She's been in hospitals so much"

"She'll be okay Cass", Stephanie said as she came into the room, holding a bowl of cool water for Alfred, "Does she have any medication or anything? Like this can't be healthy for her to black out this much"

"Poisons don't work, would that affect medications?" Cassandra asked, sitting on the edge of the couch. She was scared for Harley, in a sense that she didn't totally understand. Perhaps a bit of kinship for both being so called lost causes that Bruce had taken in. The others had been a bit untrusting but Cass despite not always being around had faith in Harley because Bruce had faith in her.

Alfred sigh, "I'm afraid that Miss Cassandra is right, such things just do not have the same effect on her as they would on us. The downfalls of such abilities I suppose"

"She knows", Stephanie said, as Dick walked into the room. He was a few minutes late to the family meeting as he had just barely gotten in from patrol.

"She's always known", Dick replied, "She's not stupid, she's probably one of the smartest people in Gotham. Harley is more than enough of a match for Bruce, in more ways than one"

Stephanie chewed on her lip, "But why wouldn't she do something with that information? Hell why wouldn't the Joker? He kidnapped Batman because he knows the connection to Harley, but he's never done anything with it before"

"Never wanted to I guess, I mean it never fit into his plans. He likes things to go his way, you know. Everything is a joke. But his desire for Batman to fight him for the rest of their lives, that overrides the biggest joke for Gotham being that Bruce Wayne is the Batman"

"And Harley is more important than all of that?" Stephanie jerked her head towards the pass out woman, "He can't love her, why is she suddenly more important than Batman?"

"Because he can control me", Stephanie and Dick turned around as Harley raised off of the couch just slightly, Alfred holding her shoulder as she did, "He says that he wants chaos and anarchy but in the end he terrorises and abuses until he makes you just the way he wants. That's why he likes me and that's why he hates Bruce so much. He can't control him"

Alfred kept his arm around her shoulder, supporting her physically and emotionally, "Are you sure that you should be up right now Miss Harley? You did take quite a fall there"

She patted his arm, "I'm fine All, don't worry about me. What I need to worry about is getting to Bruce before midnight. I don't suppose someone knows where I can find some grease paint and a Harlequin costume?"

"You cannot be serious", Dick stepped into the room, crossing his arms into an X, "There is no way that we can go let you. He'll kill you!"

"If she goes alone she will, there's no reason she can't distract him while we go in, get Batman, serve as backup", Stephanie punched her hand, grinning at Harley, "Right?"

"I can't let you guys do that, this is my fight. He called me out, not the whole goddamn Bat Family"

Alfred coughed to draw everyone's attention to him, "I believe that I can as Master Bruce's oldest companion, that you are part of the ah, Batfamily now"

Harley looked at Alfred, feeling the tears beginning to start in her eyes, "You...I mean"

Dick crossed the room, putting his hand on Harley's shoulder just over Alfred's, "Al's always been a good judge of character, I say Welcome to the Family Harley"

Cassandra nodded and smiled, she had been under the impression that Harley was already part of their family but she supposed that there was verbal confirmation needed, "We kept Jason, we keep Harley"  
"I...I'm not sure I agree that we kept Jason", Dick was only partly disagreeing with Cassandra's wording. On the one hand Bruce still believe in Jason and sometimes he was helpful, on the other…

Jason was Jason. Violent and sometimes unpredictable, but maybe that was what Cass meant. She was drawing a comparison between the two, if they could on some level still accept Jason as a family member then they could accept Harley.

"Oh wait! I have to go get Tim and Damian and we can have a group hug!" Stephanie darted out of the room, yelling as she went, "DAMIAN, TIM IT'S FAMILY TIME"

Even as she was crying Harley had to laugh at that, sometimes it was hard to remember that despite the fact these people put on costumes every night to fight crime that they were just people. And sometimes people were silly and ridiculous. Because they were a family and they could act like that with each other.

"WOMAN WE WILL NOT BE HAVING ANY SORT OF GROUP HUG GET AWAY FROM ME"

"Stephanie you are choking me!"

Harley looked at Dick and then at Alfred, for a moment they were silent then they all burst into laughter. Despite everything going on Harley actually felt pretty good, they had a plan and she had someone on her side. She felt happy, and safe, with people who cared about her. When they had Bruce back, and they would get him back, everything would be good again.

It had to be.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: A couple things! This is our final chapter, there will be an epilogue and then I'm going to do more with this universe but for RRB this is basically it. Another thing is that I just want to thank you guys for reading and commenting on this ridiclious little story, I know that you had to wait through big pauses in updating and I'm sure major writing styles changes. This was a serious learning experience for me, if I was writing it now it would be different probably. But Still I enjoyed writing this.

Also major tw for domestic violence, blood and general violence.

Harley had never really considered going into the Bat cave, it was just something that even though she knew she was dating Batman. Now walking behind Dick as he leads the way, it still didn't seem real. Any of it. Harley had the slightest inkling in the back of her head that she was just going to wake up in her bed in Arkham. The feeling of dreaming and pretending never left her, floating through life convinced that nothing was really real. Bruce helped with that, he grounded her. When she felt his hands on her shoulders, the refreshing warmth of this body. Without him there the floating was worse like her brain wasn't connected to her body.

"You should not worry", Damian's hand found hers, considering how small she was his head was nearly level with hers, "Greyson has the ability to save Father, and direct the rest of them so they don't botch it"

It was strange, she knew that Damian wasn't one for physical contact but he seemed to sense how bad she was feeling and was attempting to do something for her. Despite the fact, he wasn't Bruce just the feeling of skin to skin contact, the squeeze of his hand brought her down to Earth again.

"Thank you", it didn't matter how he knew that she was upset, if she was just broadcasting stronger signals then she thought. All that mattered was that he was trying to do something for her, "I have faith in you guys. I'm not sure I have faith in me you know?"

He nodded, intertwining their fingers in a clumsy manner that told her someone else had taught him how to, "There was a time when I couldn't trust my own mind. My mother allowed someone else to take over", his voice was quiet and she realized that everyone else was ways of the head of them almost like they were being given privacy, "I was created to become a vessel for my father. My life was never really my own. Sometimes I don't know what to do with the life now that I'm allowed to have it"

Harley felt the almost irresistible urge to grab Damian and run, he was only a child he didn't deserve to put through any of this. He should have been worrying about school and homework, not if he was going to lose his own body to someone else.

"I'm sorry Sweetie", she might not have been Damian's mother but she couldn't deny the maternal feelings that were welling up in her chest, "Can I kick your granddad's ass for you?"

Damian looked up at her, not that he had very far to look, and gave a tiny smirk-y smile, "Appreciate the offer but I think that Father has as Brown would say 'dibs' on the ass kicking of grandfather"

"Well someone should!", Harley crossed her arms shoving her nose into the air with a haughty expression, "Ain't no body should be having kids for such goddamn terrible reasons. Kids should be born because you want them and are goanna love them"

"…I… I believe that you could be an appropriate parent. Even if you are a bit bizarre at times", he looked away from her, all of a sudden sounding like the child that he was rather then the adult he tried to sound like, "If you want to that is"

Harley smiled, trying not to let too much of her excitement shine through. It had always been a dream of hers to have kids, a family the whole nine yards. Sure she knew that Damian didn't dislike her, but honestly, she had never expected him to think of her as anything else but a friend or his father's girlfriend.

"You sure kid? I don't want you to just be saying that because you want your dad to be happy or anything"

Damian snorted, squeezing her hand, "I like you. You treat me like everyone else instead of some rabid dog or something. You… understand"

Harley got that, she knew what Damian meant. No one didn't like Damian but sometimes she could see a bit of apprehension at the suggestion of Damian doing certain things. Not to mention everyone knew about what Robin did, he had grown up but when he had first started out… There was something even to her vaguely disturbing about a child being so violent.

That wasn't his fault, she knew form experience what a controlling force someone you loved could be. Whether it be a lover or a parent, she had felt the control of both of them at different times in her life. When everything was over her and Bruce were going to have a long talk about Damian and therapy. Or just all of the family in general and therapy. They were a tiny bit of a mess all of them.

"I don't suppose someone has a clown suit lying around?" Harley had to admit she hadn't really thought this through, she didn't have her suit and it was what made her Harley Quinn. The Joker would be more trusting if she looked like herself which meant no street clothes and full makeup.

Alfred nodded, presenting her with a pile of clothes with grease paint on top, "Believe it or not Miss Harley, we have most things that anyone could want. I suppose that a hammer would be too obvious, so I found some extendable batons that I believe will work for defending yourself", as she took the pile he leaned in a little closer, so only she could hear what he said next, "And if you so feel the need to give that damnable clown a pounding"

Harley grinned, holding her bundle close to her chest, "I'll do my best for you Al"

Once she started changing Harley found a new problem, she had been aware that during her recovery her weight had dropped but she had just sort of assumed that it had gone back to normal. The suit technically fit, but it was loose around her stomach and breasts, enough that she felt self-conscious. Not to mention never about how much it would hinder her ability to move freely.

"Steph?" Harley poked her head out of the stall that she was using, looking for the blond.

Instead, Cass came into view, raising an eyebrow in question. Harley stepped out of the room, pulling at the extra fabric around her midsection, "I mean…This can't be safe or nothing right?"

Cassandra nodded before disappearing into a cupboard in the wall. After a few moments of rummaging around, she came out with a pile of black. It wasn't until after she handed it to Harley that it became clear what the pile was. Body amour, it would protect her and pad out her suit enough that it would fit better.

"Thanks", of all the kids she interacted with Cassandra the least probably, for the amount that she was around. She got the feeling that was normal, though, Cassandra was a quiet private sort of person. And… Harley was loud and all over the place, she could see how they didn't always mesh well together, "… Do you think it's alright that I'm here?"

She had Damian's approval, honestly, she had Dick and Stephanie's too but somehow she wanted to know what all of the kids thought. Maybe it was the Disney fan in her that all she could think of was being that evil stepmother that everyone hated.

"I think that everyone deserves a second chance. Bruce gives people those, and if he thinks you deserve one, then I think you do too. I trust my father", Cassandra smiled, tilting her head to the side, "So I trust you"

Harley nodded, turning around to continue to get dressed. She was feeling all sorts of emotional and she had to get all of that under control for the moment. There was a certain way that Joker wanted her to act, and if she didn't act just like that it was possible that everything might go to shit on them.

Standing outside, the Funhouse Harley never felt more alone. She knew that the rest of the family was near by and that in a moment they would be with her, but at the same time… She was scared. This was the first time since the beating that she would be facing him, and that very thought was making her shake.

"It's for Bruce", she took a deep breath, shoving her shoulders back. She could do this, she was Harley Quinn, she had gone head to head with more than one supervillain in her day and lived to tell the tale. NO goddamn clown would get to her.

She took her steps slowly, growing more confident as she went. When she reached the doors, she grasped the handles with force, shoving them open so that she could step through. Once in the doorway she put on hand on her hip and the other in the air, "Harley's back Pudding!"

"Harley!" Joker descended from a stage in the middle of the room, red curtains covering the rest. She was pretty sure that's where Bruce was, but there was no way to know until she got behind there. Joker grasped her by the shoulders, shaking her every so slightly, "Oh how I have missed you my darling!"

Harley grinned, for a moment believing that maybe everything would be alright. It was that easy for her to fall back under his spell, believing that he actually loved her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of black and red, snapping her out of that. This was about Bruce, the Joker didn't actually love her if he did he'd want her to be happy. Even if it wasn't with him.

"I knew that you couldn't resist coming back to me", he grinned, white teeth flashing. The tone of his voice was pleased as if he had seduced her instead of threatening the life of someone important to her, "I am very handsome"

"Of course Puddin', you know that I would never leave you! I mean, for someone like Bruce Wayne? It was all just an act, I'm sorry I couldn't let you in on the joke sooner!" she pressed her hands to her chest, fluttering her eyes in an attempt to keep his attention firmly on her.

Joker's hands tightened on her shoulders, his nails digging into her flesh through his gloves and her suit, "I thought we had an agreement Harley…", he leaned in close so that their noses were pressed together, "I tell the jokes around here, understand? I don't care what you and Ivy do, but when you start screwing around with the Batman, I get a little bit angry"

Harley nodded, praying that her agreement would be enough to clam him down, "Of course puddin'! I'll never do it again, not as long as I have you! I'll do whatever you say!"

He leaned back, his hands still on her shoulders though the grip had loosened considerably. Joker lifted one hand off of her shoulder, grasping her chin with his hand, "Oh Harley, I know that. You are truly the only person I can trust", he pressed his lips to hers, it was slick and uncomfortable. All she could think of was Bruce, how warm he was compared to Joker.

Still, she leaned into the kiss, pressing her body against his. God, had he always been so thin? Sickly almost, like she was holding a skeleton rather than a man. Bruce, it was all for Bruce, she had to remember that.

She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn't notice as the Joker's hands moved. The one on her chin was just barely resting on her collarbone, his slim fingers against her pulse point. All of a sudden his hand was wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air. He was kissing her as he was choking her. She pounded her fists against his chest, attempting to get out of the hold. His hand didn't let up, only grasping tighter around her throat.

"Harley!" Bruce's voice cut through her oxygen deprived brain, spurring her into action.

Harley sunk her teeth into his bottom lip, tasting blood as she did so. Joker jerked back but Harley's grip didn't loosen, blood flooding her mouth as a chunk of his lip came away with her.

She spit out the flesh and blood, grabbing the baton from her belt as she jumped back from the Joker. He laughed, wiping the blood from his lip though it was replaced just as quickly. The chunk of his lip that was missing was clear, almost all of his bottom lip was gone leaving a blood mass and yellow teeth showing through.

"You fucking bitch", he giggled, "I'll kill you. And then I'll kill your precious little Batman"

"Bring it Mister J", she grinned, aware that her makeup was most likely smeared not to mention the blood across her face.

Red Robin jumped down from the rafters, landing with a soft thump, wincing as he did so. He, Batgirl and Nightwing had been sent in to retrieve Batman, Black Bat, and Robin were watching Harley making sure she didn't need any assistance. Nightwing was already on the stage, examining the canon so it wouldn't blast all of their heads off.

Batgirl stood off to the side, fidgeting with her belt as she looked towards the curtain, the thought that the Joker could come through at any minute was scaring the shit out of her.

"Are you alright Batman?" Red Robin asked, taking a step just a bit closer to Batman, though not close enough to be in the line of fire, "Sorry we didn't come sooner"

Batman didn't reply, as there was a rag stuffed in his mouth. Though he did give Red Robin a look that said he would have rather they didn't come.

"It's not loaded. Or real", Nightwing knocked his fist against the canon, it let out a hallow sound, sounding nothing like metal, "I think it's Styrofoam"

Red Robin nodded, rushing to Batman's side to began removing the ropes, starting with the rag in his mouth. He began sawing at the ropes with his bird-a-rang, glad that the Joker hadn't decided to use some kind of metal just to screw with them.

"Where's the Joker?" Batman asked rubbing his wrists as they were released from their bindings, "You didn't let Black Bat and Robin take care of him did you?"

"Harley's on it", Nightwing admitted, wincing as Batman gave him a withering glare.

"You brought Harley", Batman repeated his voice low, "You. Brought. Harley"

"Batman", Nightwing started, but Batman was already on his feet leaving Red Robin holding the ropes behind.

Batman stomped to the edge of the stage, pulling back the curtains. They hadn't heard any noises that might indicate violence so he was hopefully that Harley was okay. Instead, he found the Joker with his hand around Harley's throat. If she hadn't been covered in white paint, he was sure that her face would be turning blue.

"HARLEY"

The Joker ran at her, the blood still pouring out of his mouth. She wasn't sure if it was the blood lost making him act irrationally, or the very existence of Batman behind him, but either way it gave her the advantage. As he came at her his fist came at her but she ducked, whipping the baton at his legs. She caught him hard enough that he tripped, his legs going out from under him.

When he was on his knees Harley swung her foot out, catching him in the stomach. The breath came out of him with an oof as he fell to his side, giggling the whole time as he went.

"Oh shut up", Harley groaned, "We both know that you aren't fucking sick, you're just a goddamn bastard", she brought her arm back and brought the baton down on his face with enough force to cause the blood to splash up on her. Somehow that wasn't enough so she did it again, letting it come down again. He had raised his arm, trying to grab at her baton but instead she jammed her knee into his arm with a crack,

"If I had a choice they'd take you away in a body bag"

Joker rolled over on to his knees again, coughing up blood on to the floor, "What you aren't tough enough to kill me? Don't know if you can live without me huh Sweetie?"

Harley could have sworn that red flashed across her vision as she brought the baton down again, and again, barely hearing the snap it made as it hit his back. It wasn't until a strong hand came around her wrist that she stopped.

"He's down", Batman whispered in her ear, taking the baton out of her hand, "You're okay"

For the first time Harley noticed that she was crying, she could feel the makeup running off of her face. She turned around, pressing her face into Batman's chest and just sobbed. She had thought that she could do this, that she could handle this. She wasn't strong enough. Batman's arm wrapped around her, holding her close to him. Harley felt her knees start to shake, her legs giving out beneath her. Batman knelt, taking her with him as she cried against his chest.

They stayed there, kneeling on the ground, her sobbing and him attempting to comfort her the best that he could.

"I'm sorry", Harley choked out between her tears, "I'm sorry"

She wasn't sure if she was talking to herself, to Bruce or maybe to the Joker. IT didn't really matter; all she knew is that she was sorry to someone.


	10. Chapter 10

Harley's wasn't overly surprised that the police came to the house, they would have found the Joker and after his announcement on TV, everyone knew that he had wanted her to be there. What she wasn't expecting was the Commissioner to make the trip himself. That just made her nervous, cops and her didn't mix. Not that a year ago she would have said that she and Batman mixed either, but things changed.

Bruce grasped her hands, his thumb rubbing against the top of her hand. He could almost feel her nerves, like her very skin, was vibrating. He would have preferred to just talk to the police by himself but they had insisted. Harley had too, she wanted to clear up any suspicions the police might have had. Or rather change them the best they could. He wasn't very happy with the idea of Harley possibly going back to jail, not for beating the shit out of her abuser.

"I know what you think Commissioner", Harley's voice was hoarse, the damage from the Joker's choking had caused large hand shaped bruises over her neck and a sore throat. Thankfully the bruising was covered by a turtleneck, "But everyone can tell you that I was here all day yesterday. Passed out actually…"

"She was so upset with what happened that we had to call Doctor Thompson. She had Harley sedated, you can call her if you want to confirm?" Bruce raised an eyebrow at Gordon, daring him to question their story. Leslie had already been contacted and she would confirm their story.

Gordon nodded, tapping his finger against his arm, "And your voice? It almost sounds like someone was choking you", he kept his tone level, as if he wasn't accusing her of breaking her payroll and almost killing a man.

"I spent most of the time before Doctor Thompson came screaming and crying. I was terrified, I'm sure that you've seen plenty of women react to their abusers before", she lifted her head to look him in the eyes. It wasn't hard to look defeated and scared, she was. Scared that she would be going back to jail, scared that the Joker would get her somehow.

"Well I have to say", he took a deep breath before he continued, "That even if I wanted to charge you with anything, I don't see anything wrong with your story. Not to mention even if you had done anything, I don't think we could find a jury to convict you for it"

Harley smiled, leaning into Bruce as she did so. She was tired, just so tired and it was all over now, "Thank you, Commissioner"

"You have nothing to thank me for Miss Quinn. We should be thanking whoever put him in the hospital, they did us a public service. Not that you can quote me on that", he nodded to the pair, exiting the room, "Have a good night now"

Technically speaking the pain didn't bother him, what bothered him was that Harley had gotten the better of him. Batman could get the best of him, maybe even one of those horrible little sidekicks, but not HER. Harley was supposed to listen to him, she didn't talk back and she never fought back. When he got out of this damn bed, he was going to tear her apart.

The Joker's cell door swung open, and he looked towards it assuming that it was his doctor or a guard. Instead, there was an assortment of very familiar people. Ivy stood in the middle, with Johnathan and Eddie on either side, behind them there was just a hint of scrubs, implying there was a nurse on guard.

"We heard what happened to Harley", Ivy's lips turned up in a scowl, "And We aren't pleased"

"Though I see she did a wonderful job on your face already, but Ivy suggested that we might be able to do a little more damage", Johnathan shrugged his shoulders, "Edward and I had to agree with her. I think you forgot that Harley has friends. A lot of friends"

Eddie pulled a cane from behind himself, just a plain one without a question mark, "And the orderlies, well as Johnathan said, she has a lot of friends. And you…have less than that"

"Micky, would you mind closing the door for us?" Ivy asked, turning her head around so that she could face the hallway. As an answer, the door swung shut on them, "Perfect"

"Do your worst", he spits out, a bit of blood dribbling from his lip, "When I'm out of here, you're all going to pay"

"If you get out", Johnathan replied.

Through the rest of the criminal wing of the Asylum, the sounds of painful laughter echoed, but everyone turned a deaf ear to the noise. Harley had been a loved doctor and then a loved patient before her release, there was no one who would be sad to see the Joker get what he deserved.

"He found a new lover I see"

"Yes father"

"You won't allow this to interfere with our plans, you will have a child of the Bat. I trust that you will make it happen"

Talia Al Ghul pressed her lips together before answering, "Yes father. I won't forget our mission"

"I know you won't. You are the only one that I can trust any longer"

Notes: WE ARE DONE. Thank you to everyone for reading and commenting and all of your kudos. You guys are fantastic! As I said this universe isn't done yet but for the moment I'm taking a break.


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